Athletic shoe



G. L. PIERCE.

ATHLETIC SHOE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1921 1,392,704. Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

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GEORGE L. PIERCE, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO A. e. SPALDING & BRos, on NEW YoRK, 1v. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

ATHLETIC SHOE.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 10, 1921. Serial No. 443,784.

T 0 all whom itlmay c0accrn:.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. PmRoE,.a

citizen of the United States, residing in the-borough of Brooklyn of the city of New York, in the State of New York,'have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Athletic Shoes, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to an improved construction for shoes, and articularly athletic shoes having spikes. eretofore, it has een the most general practice to secure headed spikes to'shoes by confining the head between the inner sole and an outer sole. This imposed the pressure of the heads directly on the inner sole which served to withstand all the compressive strains and protected the foot. Necessarily, the sole had to be relatively stout to perform its function. The outer sole or tap which lay over and confined the heads and through which the spikes pass had a tendency to stiffen the shoe longitudinally, and this is objectionable particularly in running shoes where lightness and flexibility are requisites. The ent1re constructlon as heretofore commonly employed has been more expansive and has resulted in greater weight and stiffness than is the case in the improved construction forming the subject matter of this invention. In the drawing there is illustrated an embodiment of the invention as applied to running shoes. As will appear with greater particularity hereinafter the construction permits of a lighter insole than heretofore and eliminates the continuous outer sole or tap for retaining the spikes, a series of transverse auxiliary taps serving to confine the heads. Another characteristic of importance is that the spikes are given a greater effective lengthfrom the outer sole to the points. V

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a running shoeshowing the sole in section to indicate the relation between it, the headed spikes, and the retaining taps.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the sole of the shoe referred to in Fig. 1. 7

While the invention is not limited to the kind of shoe in which the improvements are embodied it will probably find its greatest usefulness and application in light weight athletic shoes and particularly outdoor running shoes The shoe a is provided with an inner sole 6 and an outer sole 0. It has been the common practice to secure spikes, such as at, having heads d, between themner and outer soles, the spikes passing through the outer sole. In such constructions, the inner sole withstoodthe compressivestrains and had to be relatively thick for this purpose. The outer sole overlying the heads and being formed as a continuous tap imparted stiffness to the structure. Further, the over-all effective length of the spikes d was reduced by the thickness of the outer sole. In accordance with the present invention the inner sole Z) may be formed as a relatively thin pliable strip, which is no more than a lining between which and the outer sole 0 and the body of the shoe may be secured. The heads cl of thespikes cl rest against the outer face of the outer sole 0 so that compressive strains are taken thereby. The spikes are secured in place and the heads confined in fixed relation to the sole 0 by means of transverse taps 6 thr ugh which the spikes d extend. These taps may be secured to the outer sole as by suitable stitching, indicated at e. The taps e are spaced at suitable intervals, and since they extend transversely of the sole 0 do not decrease the pliancy of the shoe, as would be the case with a continuous tap. Further, the effective over-all length of the spikes d, which is determined with reference to the face of the outer sole 0, is increased at least by the thickness of the outer sole 0 since the spikes do not extend therethrough but have their heads cl restin upon the outer face thereof. Another feature of considerable practical importance in the present construction is that any one of the spikes d may be readily replaced at any time by ripping the stitching e of the retaining tap e for a sufficient distance to permit the workmen to .remove the spike and replace it with another rad and its weight materially decreased. The taps 6 being formed of the smallest possible 7 size do not add much weight to the shoe and do not decrease its flexibility. It will be evident to one skilled in the art from the teachings herein that individual taps for the several spikesformed and secured in the manner described might be substituted for each tap with two spikes, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Any other changes havingto do with size and proportions andarrangeinent are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A light, flexible, athletic shoe having aon the outer sole whereby compression strains on the spikeare transmitted to the face of the outer sole. 7 1

V 2. In a light, flexible, athletic shoe, a flexible outer sole of leather, a series of spikes having broad flat heads resting on the outer surface thereof and a series of taps'o'f leather spaced apartand formed as rela tively narrow strips extending transversely of the sole and through which one or more of such spikes extend, respectively, and sewed directly to the outer sole'to confine the respective heads and hold the spikes on the outer sole whereby"compression strains on the spike are transmitted to the face of the outer sole.

This specification signed this 7th day of February, A. D. 1921. V

GEORGE L. PIERCE. 

